As we close in on the kick-off of the <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/tag/solardecathlon">Solar Decathlon </a>next week, we've been profiling <a href="http://inhabitat.com/sneak-peek-20-stunning-energy-efficient-homes-in-the-2011-solar-decathlon/">all of this year's ultra-efficient homes</a> as they prepare to take the Washington Mall by storm. We've already showcased projects from around the country - and the world - and we just had a chance to take an exclusive first look at the one entry being built right in our own backyard! The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/city-college-ny-students-unveil-penthouse-solar-roof-pod-for-the-solar-decathlon/" target="_blank">City College of New York</a> invited us for a sneak peek of their <a href="http://ccnysolardecathlon.com/" target="_blank">Solar Roofpod</a>, which is designed specifically to be sited on NYC's sun-soaked rooftops....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/city-college-of-new-york-students-unveil-sun-powered-roof-pod-for-the-solar-decathlon/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

New York City has thousands of rooftops soaking up the sun's energy every day - why aren't we making better use of this infinitely renewable resource? <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/city-college-ny-students-unveil-penthouse-solar-roof-pod-for-the-solar-decathlon/" target="_blank">City College of New York</a> poses this question, and a practical solution to the problem, with their provocative new design for a sun-powered rooftop home called the <a href="http://ccnysolardecathlon.com/" target="_blank">Solar Roofpod</a> designed specifically for NYC rooftops. This solar powered prefab home is designed to not only to provide a sweet rooftop abode for some lucky Gotham dweller, but also capture rainwater, excessive solar heat, and provide energy &amp; infrastructure to power an entire building with electricity and hot water from the roof!
The <a href="http://ccnysolardecathlon.com/" target="_blank">Solar Roofpod</a>, was designed and built by over 100 CUNY architecture & engineering studentsfor the <a href="../../tag/solar-decathlon/" target="_blank">Solar Decathlon</a>, a university solar house competition organized by the U.S. Department of Energy. The <a href="http://ccnysolardecathlon.com/" target="_blank"> Roofpod</a> will duke it out against 20 other student-built solar homes on the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/nacc/index.htm">Washington Mall </a>from Sept 23 to Oct 2, 2011 to see who will be crowned king of the solar homes. We were able to get a sneak peek of CUNY's <a href="http://ccnysolardecathlon.com/" target="_blank">Solar Roofpod</a> before it was disassembled and shipped off to the Washington mall for its grand premier. Read more to see our photos!

This solar powered prefab home is designed to not only to provide a sweet rooftop abode for some lucky Gotham dweller, but also capture rainwater, excessive solar heat, and provide energy &amp; infrastructure to power an entire building with electricity and hot water from the roof! How awesome is that?

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CUNY Roof Pod

As one Team New York member stated, “Our most abundant energy resource in the sun and our most underutilized urban space is our rooftops.” In fact, there are over 1.6 billion feet of roof space available! Additionally, rooftops provide the perfect resources for self-sufficiency: solar energy, wind, and rain water.

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CUNY Roof Pod

The project has taken over two years and included over 100 students and 20 faculty from CUNY. Here, Farah Ahmad, one of the student project leaders, and Professor Volkmann stand in front of the final design.

The sun’s energy in New York City alone is over twice that needed to power the grid. The unit designed by Team New York produces 10 kilowatts of power.

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CUNY Roof Pod

Professor Volkmann demonstrates the efficiency of a pull out bed to conserve space in the 750 square foot housing unit.

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CUNY Roof Pod

Special innovations such as a colored light system near water faucets visually indicates water usage to help residents be conscious of their use of resources.

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CUNY Roof Pod

The lighting system can also be found in the bathroom in a distinct design at eye level directly communicating water consumption through green, red and pink lights.

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CUNY Roof Pod

As the roof pod unit is relatively small, the interior layout had to be carefully planned. Units are stacked on top of each other and every available space is designed for a specific use.

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CUNY Roof Pod

Students participated in a shop drawing and fabrication class with a master cabinet maker and constructed all the cabinets themselves.

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CUNY Roof Pod

Cork flooring made from poplar and plywood is found throughout the unit.

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CUNY Roof Pod

The entire interior core of the house is constructed of bamboo plywood. Bamboo's fast-growing, light weight nature makes it the perfect material to use in this energy efficient design.

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CUNY Roof Pod

The windows are coated with a unique UV pattern that is invisible to the human eye but detectable by birds. With over 700,000 bird deaths by windows per year in New York, this feature is especially important in an urban environment!

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CUNY Roof Pod

Natural light was heavily considered in the design process. Skylights can be found in the bathroom above the shower.

The entrance is constructed of a 9-foot <a href="http://www.nanawall.com/">NanaWall</a>, the leader in glass walls for large openings, allowing plenty of light to flood the structure.

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CUNY Roof Pod

An additional 9-foot opening to the back encourages dwellers to incorporate the outdoors, and perhaps gardening, into their daily routine.

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CUNY Roof Pod

The steel decking around the perimeter of the base of the house complies with combustibility codes.

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CUNY Roof Pod

Greenery is an important part of the roof pod environment and planters were constructed around the base of the house to encourage gardening.

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CUNY Roof Pod

The fate of the house remains unknown after the Decathlon. Students expressed interest in having the house back on campus to continue research on its performance over the next year and to serve as a source of inspiration for incoming design students.

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CUNY Roof Pod

The roof pod was constructed on a roof on the CUNY campus. With so much recent development, New York City’s rooftops remain one of the most underutilized pieces of real estate. With over 1.6 billion feet of roof space available, there is amazing potential for a design like this.

New York City has thousands of rooftops soaking up the sun's energy every day - why aren't we making better use of this infinitely renewable resource? City College of New York poses this question, and a practical solution to the problem, with their provocative new design for a sun-powered rooftop home called the Solar Roofpod designed specifically for NYC rooftops. This solar powered prefab home is designed to not only to provide a sweet rooftop abode for some lucky Gotham dweller, but also capture rainwater, excessive solar heat, and provide energy & infrastructure to power an entire building with electricity and hot water from the roof!
The Solar Roofpod, was designed and built by over 100 CUNY architecture & engineering studentsfor the Solar Decathlon, a university solar house competition organized by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Roofpod will duke it out against 20 other student-built solar homes on the Washington Mall from Sept 23 to Oct 2, 2011 to see who will be crowned king of the solar homes. We were able to get a sneak peek of CUNY's Solar Roofpod before it was disassembled and shipped off to the Washington mall for its grand premier. Read more to see our photos!